The new Hitachi brushless hammer drill will be available as part of a 2x 6.0Ah battery kit (DV18DBL2), and as a bare tool (DS18DBL2P4).

Advertisement

Update: NX pointed out in the comments that the bare tool currently available is a drill/driver and NOT a hammer drill.

It delivers a whopping 1205 in-lbs of max torque, and has a Reactive Force Control to help protect users from kickback. The Reactive Force Control is also said to help protect the battery and tool motor.

It has an all-metal ratcheting chuck, with carbide inserts to help reduce bit slippage.

Hitachi describes the new drill as being the most powerful *torque and fastest* application speed in its class, as of December 2015. I don’t think we’ve seen any new high powered drills since then that could top this one’s 1205 in-lbs max rating.

The kit comes with (2) 6.0Ah battery packs, a charger (the slow 90 minute charger), and a carrying case.

* I have also seen a weight spec of 4.9 lbs with high capacity battery pack. The figures above were from a Hitachi fact sheet, the lightest weight from a product page. Perhaps the lightest weight is for the drill without aux handle.

It appears that the bare tool is just a drill/driver and not a hammer drill.

First Thoughts

Everything about this drill looks good, except for the charger that’s included in the kit. Hitachi has come out with a fast charger (UC18YSL3, $60 via Amazon), but going by the product description for the kit, it comes with the slow charger, UC18YFSL.

Raise your hand if you’d rather have a 90 minute charging time for the included 6.0Ah battery packs – each. Now raise your hand if a 38 minute charging time sounds better.

I suppose they really wanted to keep the price point below $400. The bare tool is $160, the batteries are $135 each, and the fast charger is $60. The slower standard charger has been around for a while, so perhaps its costs have come down below the $52 or so it sells for.

In any case, $160 + ($135 x 2) = $430. Plus a charger and plus a case. Yes, I can see why they bundled the standard charger with the kit instead of the new fast charger.

That one complaint about the charger aside, this is one powerful drill. *Thumbs up* to the anti-kickback controls, and *thumbs up* at the user-friendly-seeming features, such as the adjustable clutch dial.

Its max speeds are decent too.

1205 in-lbs is a lot of torque. That’s a hair over 100 ft-lbs. Even with the Reactive Force Control, I’d be hesitant to use this drill without its auxiliary handle, except when working with smaller drill bit and screw sizes.

I think your complaint about the charger speed is unwarranted – you cannot drain a 6 amp battery using a drill in less than 90 minutes anyways, so there’s not any difference!

A faster charge time is only useful if you otherwise would be sitting there waiting for a charge to complete. A slower charge rate is actually better for the batteries lifespan anyway, and that’s probably got more to do with the decision to include the 90 minute charger than the price point.

I don’t charge tool batteries daily. Sometimes a battery lasts several days through a project. Say I might take a tool from 50% to 20% and then have a big sequence to do.

Generally I’ll have another battery at the ready. Sometimes I might have multiple tools paired with batteries and can’t easily spare one.

I’d like to take a break, or tackle a side task, and come back to a full battery. 90 minutes is a little long.

That the slow charger is my only complaint is a good thing, but keep in mind I hadn’t tested or seen this tool in person yet. Maybe there’s something else.

If I were invested or investing in Hitachi’s 18V charger, I’d definitely pick up that fast charger. But spending $400 on a kit with premium latest and greatest highest capacity battery packs? It would ideally be bundled with the fast charger.

The UK version of the kit comes with the fast charger, and for around the same price. If not for that, I wouldn’t have said anything about it.

And despite the minor criticism, the kit is still the better way to get the drill and 2x 6.0Ah battery packs.

I don’t know, it seems like you’re stretching pretty far to justify your complaint about the charger speed.

We’re talking about a tool that comes with TWO batteries. It doesn’t matter how many days you’ve gone without charging, there should always be one full battery to swap out, even if you own more tools than just the drill, that’s a general rule of thumb.

You even mention yourself that generally you have another battery at the ready which is my whole point! Sure if you own too many bare tools and not enough batteries and chargers then your scenario of having to wait for a charge could actually happen, but even then you don’t need to wait 90 minutes, there is no rule that you have to charge the battery to full. You would be surprised, you could do LOTS of work after say 30 minutes of charge time!

It’s funny how consumers product expectations skew over time – think about how just a few years ago the biggest batteries were 3 AH and they took 60 minutes to charge (except Makita). Now they have a 6 AH battery charging in just 90 minutes, which is overall 30% more power per minute and yet that can still be a source of criticism!

I tent to agree with Stuart on this one if the cost is the same. The battery/charging technology has come a long way and if they can now keep the batteries cooler while charging there doesn’t appear to be any long term gains of charging slower. Fair criticism. Maybe they just have an excess of old chargers they need to get rid of? Anyways it looks like Hitachi overall has really stepped up their game the last few years. Cordless nailer’s are really good I hear.

In Europe and we have the same difference between DS* and DV* tools from hitachi. There are two version :
– DS* (DS14DBL2 with 110nm torque and DS18DL2* with 136nm torque)
– DV* (DV14DBL2 with 110 nm torque and DV18DBL2 with 136 nm torque). Only DV version includes hammer drill.